Safety catch



@et l@ 1926, l@

E. MDREHQUSE SAFETY CATCH Filed Jan. l2, 1926 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented @et i9, i926.,

NETE@ STATES tenais@ paritair aerien.

:EUGENE MORET-IOSE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE SAND, ASSIGNGR TO B. A. BALLO &CO., .T NC., OF PROVOENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

SAFETY CATCH.

Application iled January This invention relates to an improved safetycatch for pin stems for use on jewelry and the like; and has for itsobject to provide a safety catch of this character having a body portionwith a hook-shaped end to receive the pointed end of a pin stem.v akeeper member for closing the hook being pivot'ally mounted in this bodymember to slide back and forth through a slot in the back of the body,the keeper being provided with resilient side walls for engaging theside walls of the slot through which it slides to frictionally engagethese walls and yieldingly retain the keeper in adjusted position.

A. further object of this invention is a provision oflaterally-projecting protuberances on these resilient side walls of thekeepei' which are positioned to frictionally engage the inner surface ofthe body wall between which it slides whereby when the keeper is movedforwardly to close the hook the protuberances are caused to engage theforward edges of the body to releasably retain the keeper in its closedposition.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improved safety catch as mountedto receive the pointed end of a pin stem, both being supported on acommon base.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a blank as cut and formed from sheet stockfrom which the body of the catch is formed.

Figure 3 is -a central sectional side elevation showing the top of thebody portion as bent into hook form and the wings at the' lower endthereof as being folded to extend forwardly and remain in spacedrelation.

Figure l is a view of the back ofthe body portion of the catch as bentinto the form illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig ure 3, showing the forwardlybent wing portions in the inner surface of which are formed recesses toreceive and pivotally support the keeper member Figure 6 isa rear viewof the keeper member as blanked from sheet stock.

Figure 7 is a sectional view or. line 7--7 0f Figure 6, showing thepivotal trunnions 12, 1926. Serial No. 80,7.

and the engaging protuberances both as raised from the face of thestock.

Figure 8 is a bottom view showing the blank as having been folded backupon itself, the side walls at the middle portion thereof being spacedapart to frictionally and yieldingly engage the walls of the bodyportion.

Figure 9 is a sideelevation showing the keeper as mounted in the bodyportion and swungrforward into closed position with the protuberancesjust beyond the inner edges of the body side walls.

Figure l0 is a sectional elevation illustrating the keeper member asswung back to open position to permit free passage of the pin stem into'and out of the hook.

It is found in the rconstruction and operation of safety catches of thischaracter, pai'- ticularlywhere*they aremade of precious metal such asgold, platinum, silver and the like, that the continual working of thekeeper member to and from its closed position, wears the same and intime becomes loose and willnot stay put when moved to its closedposition, which often results in the loss of valuable jewelry which itis designed to securely lock on the person of the wearer. To obviatethis diiiiculty, I have formed the keeper member to swing back and forththrough a slot in the body and I have formed this keeper member of sheetstock which is folded upon itself forming double resilient side wallsspaced apart at their middle portions where they slide through the bodyslot, whereby the inherent resiliency in the stock serves to press theside walls of the keeper against the walls of the slot with sufficientforce to retain the bkeeper in any desired adjusted position and theresiliency of the keeper side walls is designed to take up the wear ineither the body or the keeper, as fast as it occurs and maintain asubstantially constant frictional resistance to the move# ment of thekeeper. Then again, to more surely retain the keeper when in its closedposition, I have provided laterally-extending protuberances projectingfrom its opposite resilient side walls so that when the keeper is movedto closed position these protuber-V ances are caused to spring apartjust inside of the inner edges' of the body thereby pro vidingadditional and effective means for preventing accidental opening of thecatch and yat the same time the resilient walls per-- mit this keeper tobe swung back into open position when desired; without presentingexcessive resistance to such action; and the following is a detaileddescription of the present embodiment of my invention and showing oneconstruction of safety catch by which these advantageous results may beac` complished With reference to the drawings, 10 designates the bodyportion of a safety catch which is preferably formed of relatively heavysheet stock, the upper portion of the body being bent over into fixedhook shape as at 11 and the lower portion of the body is provided with apair of wing members 12 which are folded forwardly to remain in spacedrelation, as best illustra-ted in Figure 5, and each of these wings isprovided on its inner face with a recess 13, which recesses are for thereception of the pivot trunnions of the keeper 9. The. forward foldingof these wing portions provides an extended base 15 by which the catchmay be soldered or otherwise secured to a brooch, bar pin or other base16, as shown in Figure 1. The rear of this body portion is slottedlongitudinally as at 14 through which this keeper member, presentlydescribed, is designed to swing back and forth.

My improved form of keeper member is preferably cut from relatively thinsheet stock which is formed sufficiently hard to be somewhat resilientand this stock is preferably cut from a blank into the form bestillustrated in Figure 6. This blank is preferably folded on its centerline to form opposite side walls 17, as best illustrated in Figure S,which side walls at their middle portions are normally spaced slightlyapart as at 19 with their forward edges 18 meeting. These forward edgeportions are provided with a pair of laterally-extending integraltrunnions 20 forced outwardly from the stock to lit into correspondingrecesses 13v formed in the inner surfaces of the side walls of thewings, the rear portion of this keeper extends through the slot 14 ofthe body and projects upwardly to provide an operating handle 21 andportions of the spaced apart resilient side walls adjacent their' middleportions are forced outwardly to provide laterally-extendingprotuberances' 22 having rounding outer engaging surfaces which areformed on this keeper so that when the same is swung forwardly to closedposition its forwardly extending nose portion 23 will Xtend across andclose the hook 11 and when in this position these protuberances will bein a position just forward of the edges 24- of the body, whereby theresilient walls of the keeper force these protuberances outwardly and sooffer a substantial yet yielding resistance to the opening or backwardswinging motion of the keeper and so prevent the keeper from beingaccidental- Lacasse ly opened even if the adjacent fabric should catchupon it, requiring it to be engaged and intentionally operated by actionof the wearer, in other words, when it is desired to swing the keeper toopen position the handle is engaged and moved back into the positionillustrated in Figure 10, thereby causing the resilient side walls tospring slightly inwardly in order to permit the protuberances 22 to passbackwardly in slot lli in the body and the friction of these jn'otuberances against these side walls serves t-o hold the keeper in anydesired adjusted position and when swung forwardly into closed positionthey spring apart and so offer additional resistance by the springaction of the walls of the keeper, and the inherent spring in the stockof the keeper will thus serve to automatically take up any wear of theparts, and so maintain the effective locking action of the catch.

rlhe foregoing description is directed slowly towards, the constructionillustrated, but desire it to be understood that re serve the privilegeof resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device issusceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the termsof the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. A safety catch formed with a slotted body portion having a pin tonguereceiving hook at its outer end, a keeper member formed of resilientsheet stock folded upon itself and pivoted in said body to slide throughthe slot therein, said keeper having an operating handleA and ahook-closing nose portion, the side walls at the middle portion of thekeeper being spaced apart to frictionally engage the side walls of saidslot with yielding pressure.

2. A safety catch formed with a slotted body portion having a pin tonguereceiving hook at one end and having forwardly-folded side wings, akeeper member formed of resilient sheet stock folded upon itself andpivoted in said wings to swing through said body slot, said keeperhaving an operatingI handle and a hook-closing nose portion, theresilient side walls at the middle portion of the keeper being spacedapart to frictionally engage the side walls of said slot with yieldingpressure.

3. A safety catch formed with a slotted body portion having a pin tonguereceiving hook at one end and having forwardly folded side wings, akeeper member formed of resilient sheet stock folded upon itself andpivoted in said side wings to swing through said body slot, said keeperhaving an operating handle and a hook-closing nose portion, the sidewalls of the middle portion of the keeper being spaced apart andprovided with laterally-extending protuberances to frictionally engagethe side walls of said slot with yielding pressure to yieldingly retainthe keeper in adjusted position.

4. A safety catch formed with a slotted body portion having a pin tonguereceiving hook at one end and having forwardly folded spaced side wings,a keeper member formed of resilient sheet stock folded upon itself andpivoted in said side wings to swing through said body slot, said keeperhaving an operating handle and a hook-clos ing nose portion, the sidewalls of the middle portion of the keeper being spaced apart andprovided with laterally-extending protuberanoes to swing forwardlybeyond the body walls when closed to releasably retain the keeper' inclosed position.

5. A safety catch formed with a slotted body portion having a pin tonguereceiving hook at one end, an attaching base at its opposite end, saidbody also having forwardly folded spaced side wing members,` a keepermember formed of resilient stock folded upon itself and pivoted in saidside wings to slide through said body slot, said keeper havingv anoperating handle at the back of the body and a hook-closing nose portionat the front thereof, the side walls of the middle portion of saidkeeper being spaced apart and provided with laterally-extendingprotuberances to frictionally engage the side walls of said slot and toswing when in closed position forwardly beyond the forwardly-engagingedges of said Wings to releasably retain the keeper in closed position.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

EUGENE MOREHOUSE.

